The Curse of Pleasure Island
by Spiderlord88
Summary: What happened to Lampwick after that fateful night? Is he doomed to a life in the salt mines? Or will wishing on a star work for him as well? Please read and review
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Pinocchio and all things related to it. Pinocchio belongs to Walt Disney Productions

**The Curse of Pleasure Island**

_Prologue_

_The nerve of that beetle… having the gall to talk to people who could have squished him easily. Lampwick came to Pleasure Island to do things that he would never have been allowed to do at home, not to be bossed around by some measly grasshopper. If he wasn't a friend of Pinoke's, he'd have squished it._

"_Ha! Hear that beetle talk…" he downed his beer. "You'd think something' was gonna happen to us."_

_He spat in the spittoon. He turned to see Pinocchio pushing his beer away with a confused look on his face. Was he chickening out on him?_

"_Conscience. Ah, phooey!" He potted a ball. What did he need a conscience for anyway. He didn't need one whenever he stole from a shop or vandalised public property or whenever the cops were on his tail. He didn't need his parents, he didn't need school and he sure as heck didn't no conscience. He turned again to see Pinocchio flick his cigar away._

"_Where does he get that stuff? 'How do you ever expect to be a real boy?'" he sneered and potted another ball. "What's he think I look like… a jackass?!" He puffed on his cigar proudly._

"_You sure do!" cried Pinocchio. He started to laugh… it sounded amazingly like a donkey!_

"_Hey, you laugh like a donkey!" Lampwick began to laugh, and much to his surprise… it sounded like a donkey braying! "Did that come outta me?"_

_Pinocchio nodded, a horrified look upon his face. Lampwick felt where his nose should be… it was the muzzle of a donkey! He felt the side of his face… it was furry! This could not be happening! He felt up his ears… they were long… like a donkeys!_

"_What the… What's goin' on ?" He looked in the mirror. A human with the head and tail of a donkey stared back. "AAARRRGGGHHH! I've been double-crossed! Help! Help! Somebody help! I've been framed! Help!" Pinocchio… the only friend he had left… he had to do something! "Please you've gotta help me! Be a pal! Call that beetle! Call anybody!" He could feel the bones of his fingers and toes sinking into his hands and feet! He felt them harden… they were hooves!_

"_Mama! M-A-A-A-M-A-A-A-A-A-A!"_

_His back stiffened! Something was pulling the upper half of his body to the ground! It was agonising! He shouted for his mother, countless times but he could feel the bray leaving his mouth. He flew round the billiard room in a horrified panic, smashing the mirror, sending tables and chairs flying. His clothes flew off. Lampwick kept calling for his mother, even though he knew it would do no good. What could he do…? What could he do…?_


	2. Captured

Chapter 1

Captured!

Lampwick stopped panicking after what seemed like an eternity. He looked around; Pinocchio was gone. He decided that he must have suffered the same fate and had ran out in his panic. Wherever he was, he had to find him, not just because he was scared, but because the guy might need help. But what help could he give to Pinocchio, he was in the same situation… what ever was possible, he had to find him.

He ran out of the pool hall, and looked everywhere. Pleasure Island was deathly silent. He now realised what must have happened to the others.

"Pinoke!" he brayed loudly. "Pinoke!" There was no answer. He pricked his ears to listen for anything. Then he heard it from some way off, the sound of not one donkey but many. He ran towards the sounds.

"Hold on, Pinoke! I'm comin' buddy!" he brayed. He ran towards the closed gate. He clopped his hooves and the strong wood.

"What the devil…?" Lampwick recognised that voice as the coachman who had brought them to Pleasure Island. There was a ray of hope behind that gate… the coachman had to be the answer to his prayers. The gate opened…

"You missed one you blokes!" The coachman appeared with a cruel look in his eyes, whip in hand, flanked by several giant, black, ape-like creatures. "Get him!"

Lampwick ran for his life. He briefly looked back; the coachman and two creatures were hot on his tail. He looked ahead to see another creature. He quickly leapt onto the carousel and scampered around the model horses and jumped down onto the ground on the other side. He ran towards the model home. There was many rooms for him to hide in. It was the only chance he had.

He saw the battered sign saying "Model Home: Open for Destruction." He ran into the mansion and looked everywhere for a place to hide. All the doors that led to a room were blocked by wreckage… wreckage that he, Pinocchio and many others had caused. Then he saw a wardrobe that looked big enough to hide. He ran in and with his muzzle, he closed it as best he could.

He heard the coachman outside yelling to his cronies, "Spread out you blokes, he can't have gone far!" Lampwick backed further away from the ajar doors. He then backed into something cold and furry. He looked up in horror to see two evil eyes staring down at him. He didn't have time to bray in fright, a sack went over his head…


	3. To the Mainland

Chapter 2

To the Mainland

Lampwick was bumped around inside the sack as the creature took him back towards the docks. The sack was set down on the floor hard.

"What have we 'ere, then?" came that same cruel voice. A black hand reached in and grabbed Lampwick by the ears and yanked him out.

"And what's your name?" the coachman. He spoke in a voice that was as grandfatherly as his appearance, but there was no hiding that note of menace. Lampwick spoke his name, but all he could do was bray. With a cruel smile, the coachman grabbed the donkeys ear and threw him like a child would throw a doll into an empty crate. The coachman glowered down on him.

"No use looking at me like that," he sneered. "That's what happens when you don't stay in school… you make a jackass of yourself." The gates opened and three of the shadow creatures entered.

"Is there any donkeys left?" he called. The creature in front shook its head slowly and silently. "Then let's get moving!"

Lampwick looked around in horror. All around were crates with the heads of braying donkeys sticking out. He could tell what the donkeys were saying even though they were braying. Each crate had a slat saying "Sold to the Salt Mines" or "Sold to the Circus."

"Check those donkeys back there," shouted the Coachman. "See if those runts can still talk!"

A creature walked over to a corral where there were donkeys still in their clothes. Lampwick recognised one of them as Alexander, a kid from school, who used to annoy him and his friends by trying to tag along. He recognised him by the sailor's suit that he wore when he came to the island. Their crying slowly but surely turned to braying. The creature looked over at the Coachman and nodded silently.

"Right, let's get these donkeys on the ferry. It's nearly dawn."

On command, the creatures ripped the clothes of the donkeys and shoved them into the crates. Alexander shared a crate with Lampwick.

"Alexander?"

"Lampwick?" Alexander looked up at Lampwick.

"What are you doing here, squirt?"

"I wanted to see what Pleasure Island was like."

Lampwick looked away in anguish. All those times he told that kid to get lost, he was really starting to regret every word now.

Eventually, the donkeys were all loaded onto the ferry and were heading back to the mainland. Lampwick looked around. All the donkeys had given up hope. He heard a noise coming from a door. It sounded like muffled screaming.


	4. No Double Crossing

Chapter 3

No Double Crossing

The ferry eventually reached the mainland and the creatures immediately set to work at unloading the donkeys. When Lampwick and Alexander were carted out of the cargo hold, it was daytime but dark clouds were gathering in the sky.

"Ah, Coachman." Lampwick looked across the dock and saw two faces that he instantly recognised. It was Honest John and Gideon, that same fox and cat that persuaded him to go to Pleasure Island in the first place. (Well, Honest John did most of the persuading, Gideon was just in the background looking stupid.) "I gather from the insidious look upon your face that everything went according to plan."

"There was the odd minor 'iccup," the Coachman boomed, with a sideways glance at Lampwick. "But apart from that I've now got what I wanted out of those kids."

"I see and what exactly did you get out of it?" said Honest John twirling his cane confidently. "Their address, their pocket money, their candy…? Giddy, I was joking," he added, noticing the hopeful look coming from his companion.

The Coachman walked down the gangplank.

"One, I'm a Coachman, I ain't gonna make my livin' out of breaking and entering. Two, there's not much of a fortune in a kids lunch money. And three…" He grabbed an iron bar. Honest John stopped twirling his cane and the two con artists backed away. The Coachman's face was taking on that demonic appearance that it did when he revealed his master plan. "If your implying anything about my shape…" He effortlessly broke the iron bar in two.

Honest John gulped. "Point taken," he mumbled. Gideon nodded.

"Now then," the Coachman growled "you see that truck over there. I want you to…

But Gideon was not paying attention. He was walking towards Lampwick and Alexander's crate. Oh, if only I was free, Lampwick thought, I'd aim a hoof right for that stupid mug. Gideon pulled on the sides of his mouth and stuck out this tongue. If only he hadn't been standing too close, because Alexander, whose head could fit through the gaps in the crate, ran up and bite him hard on the nose.

"Yeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwch!!"

Gideon fell on his backside and rubbed his nose. Honest John's cane hooked around Gideon's neck and yanked the cat back to the side of it's owner.

"Giddy, we're not here for the petting zoo, we're here to deliver these beasts of burden." He immediately bumped Gideon on the head with his cane, this was followed by a subsequent hiccup. "Sorry Coachman, the first mouse he somehow caught was in his head turning the wheels. Do carry on."

"I… see. But don't you foul this up. This the fiftieth time I've made this transaction successfully and I don't want any comebacks."

"Yes sir." Honest John and Gideon were about to leave when a thought struck them (To be more precise, it struck Honest John.) "If you don't mind my asking, if this is the fiftieth time, who helped you before we did."

The Coachman smiled evilly. "Well… normally I'd tell you blokes to mind your own business and get out of it, but I'm actually glad you asked." He turned towards three creatures on the ship. "Bring out our old mates."

The three creatures disappeared below deck. After a while, they returned with three captives tied and gagged. One was a short and thin man in his late forties, with a rat face and he wore just about the attire of someone in the black market. The next was a woman in her mid-thirties. She had an hourglass figure, had blond curly hair and had a red shirt. The next one was a hulking man in his mid-fifties, bald with a blue sleeveless shirt. They were set down before the Coachman and had their gags removed. The small man had a thin moustache and the bigger man had a white bushy one.

"Well, well, well…Vicky, Stoat and Boulder. Long time no see" the Coachman said menacingly.

"Ah, Coach," said the small man. "You've let us out so we can clear this misunderstanding up."

"No Stoat, I want you to meet your replacements." He gestured towards Honest John and Gideon. They looked nervous.

"Ah, having pets do your dirty work, eh?" the huge man rumbled.

"You always were insolent weren't ya, Boulder?" the Coachman hissed. "And you Vicky, you betrayed me the worst."

"I'm sorry Coachman," she said calmly. "It just wouldn't have worked."

"Go ahead, make jokes. But you know what I mean… _**all of you!**_" he roared. Stoat tried to hide his face behind his shoulder but without success. Vicky and Boulder just stared up at the Coachman with contempt. "I send you off with the donkeys, the donkeys get delivered, you got the money… but the money never came back."

"Oh, now come on," said Stoat, trying to stay calm. "We explained this before, we simply needed to pay off a few debts."

"So you paid them off by putting yourself in greater debt."

"We were gonna pay you back the following Tuesday," shuddered Stoat. "After the bank job that Boulder pulled, our debt was in the clear."

"And it would have been paid off if you hadn't gambled it all away," said Vicky angrily.

"How was I to know it was rigged?!" screamed Stoat.

"I'll tell ya why," interrupted the Coachman. "Because you can't trust anyone, I learnt that the 'ard way, you learnt that the 'ard way, just like those kids learnt that the 'ard way." He pointed at the crates. Lampwick and Alexander grew uneasy. "I've never tolerated double-crossers and I don't intend to start now."

"Well, whatcha gonna do?" snarled Boulder. "I grew up on the streets, so why should I be intimidated by an old warthog like you?"

The Coachman looked at Boulder, showing no expression… no emotion.

"You wanna know?" he hissed. "I'll show you."

He took a whistle from inside his pocket, put it to his mouth and blew. The whistling sound came and almost instantly, the shadow creatures stopped what they were doing had headed towards where Vicky, Stoat and Boulder were.

"Wh-what's going on?" said Vicky starting to show signs of panic. Without an answer, the Coachman backed away towards Honest John and Gideon who both knew this was not going to be good. The creatures began to form a circle around the three captives. Vicky and Boulder seemed to have forgotten about being calm.

"What are they gonna do?" shuddered Boulder. "What are they gonna do?!"

The Coachman simply lit his pipe. The creatures began to close in.

"Now c-c-come on Coach," stuttered Stoat. "Aren't we o-o-overreacting? Come on I've got a wife and four kids." The Coachman scoffed; he'd heard that one before… eight times. "Okay I haven't got kids… or a wife. But can't we talk about this over a pint? Okay, I can't afford a pint but…"

Three shadow creatures quickly lowered their heads towards the three captives. Stoat's teeth chattered, sweat flying. Vicky screwed her eyes shut, gritted her teeth and tried to bring herself as far away from the creatures as possible. Boulder tried to stare them out, but there was no hiding the fear in his eyes.

The creatures inhaled. When they exhaled, what appeared to be black smoke arose from an invisible mouth and moved towards the victims. The smoke seeped quickly into their mouths. They started to writhe. Lampwick and Alexander were terrified, this was not what they wanted when they got home.

They stopped writhing and sat up stiff as wood. Then, black started to pour out of their eyes, ears, mouth and nose. The smoke wrapped around their heads and then around their bodies. Even after the legs and feet were finished, the smoke kept wrapping itself around and around, until when the smoke did stop, where the three goons were before, were three cocoons of black smoke. They hovered into the air very slowly. They appeared to be turning solid. The donkeys watched closely as did Honest John and Gideon. And then…

_**CRUNCH!!**_

It happened so suddenly. Quick as a flash, the cocoons twisted themselves like a wet cloth being wrung. They twisted themselves so tight you could barely see them and the crunch was enough to curdle the blood. Honest John, Gideon, Lampwick, Alexander and the other donkeys screwed their eyes and gritted their teeth in horror. But the Coachman just smiled remorselessly as the now mangled shape evaporated leaving no sign of Vicky, Stoat or Boulder.

"Let that be a reminder why you don't double cross me," snarled the Coachman. "Oh yeah, did I mention no second chances?"

Honest John and Gideon nodded obediently.

"Triffic. Now get those donkeys on the truck, and make it fast."


	5. How Did It Come to This?

Chapter 4

How Did It Come to This?

The donkeys were loaded onto the truck quickly. Honest John and Gideon were obviously willing to stay on the Coachman's good side. (Well, good by his standards anyway.) They set off almost immediately. As Lampwick looked out towards the dock, he did not know where he would rather be; back on the docks with the Coachman and his minions, or wherever he was being sent.

How did it come to this? The thought kept hitting him again and again. He looked down at Alexander. Why did he come along? Did he know what he was in for? Drinking, smoking, vandalism, fighting, gambling, none of that suited him, why did he do it? Lampwick always wanted a life where he could do what he wanted, but it was not something he wished on an innocent like Alexander.

"Why did I turn into a donkey?" he whimpered. "I never wanted any trouble. I wasn't interested in smoking or smashing up that mansion. I just came for the rides, I just wanted to have fun."

"Alex, I didn't want you to live the life I led, not just because you annoyed me, but because it didn't suit you."

"Then what makes you think it suited you?"

Lampwick was flabbergasted, all those times he defaced public property, threw eggs and flour bags at important people and said the most filthiest words possible, no one had ever had the guts to ask him that before.

Maybe it was because no one cared enough to ask…

"_Your grades are worth nothin'"_

"_No, your friends can't come for tea, they remind me how worthless you are."_

"_I'm ashamed to call you my son."_

_This was what happened all the time at home. How could Mother marry him? How could Lampwick say he was the son of that monster? This was the torment they endured. The man he was supposed to call father was a drunk and a thief. School was no better as the teachers there were worse bullies than any of the older kids. It was when he turned twelve that he found what must be the first ray of hope for a happier life. _

_Some of the older kids didn't need school. They found their own fun outside. At first, he was reluctant to have anything to do with them, because he saw some of the things they did for fun. But he realised that most of them didn't live with their parents because they had experienced the same problems he did. It was then that he realised he didn't need his parents or school, what had he done for him? He started off as a tagalong, but eventually he developed into the leader of the gang…_

And now here he was, fifteen years old, and instead of bragging to his friends about the most swell place on earth, he was a donkey heading for heaven knows where and he knew he wouldn't like it when he got there.


	6. Men of Business

Chapter 5

Men of Business

After what happened back at the docks, Honest John and Gideon were eager to stay on schedule and they were doing a good job of it. The donkeys were sold off to the circus and to farms and army training camps. Most of them were taken to another harbour to be sold abroad. By the time those donkeys were sold, only Lampwick and Alexander's crate and five other crates, each with two donkeys, were left.

"Now, we just need to pay a visit to the salt mines and then we can go back to the Red Lobster for a good hearty drink," proclaimed Honest John proudly. Gideon started to dance and jump for joy until…

"You're paying!"

Poor Gideon. He was just about to get his tap shoes out as well.

"What's going to happen to us when we get there?" said Alexander to no one in particular. Lampwick looked out as the harbour began to disappear in the distance. Every mile the truck drove was a mile closer to the horror of what was going to happen.

An hour later, something caught Gideon's eye. He pointed it out to Honest John.

"Oh, a beached whale. Now where… a beached whale?!" He stopped the truck. Just visible on the beach in the distance resting on a pile of rocks was the huge form of Monstro the whale.

"My goodness, Giddy! Monstro the titan of the ocean, has been beached! I'd never have believed it possible." He began to stroke his chin. Gideon was not exactly world renowned for his thinking power, but he had known Honest John long enough to know that when he stroked his chin like that, there was bound to be money involved.

"Giddy, do you not see what we've got here? Those shady and unsavoury chaps in the black market, men after my own heart I might add, have been after a piece of Monstro for years. If we hand this beast over to them, they'll practically bankrupt themselves to get even an ounce of his blubber!"

At first, Gideon was tempted, but then shook his head frantically. He grabbed one of his overhanging sleeves and twisted it around to prove his point.

"I know Giddy, but we're not abandoning our job," said Honest John reassuringly. "We're simply… um… putting it on hold for a while to make double the cold hard cash, maybe even triple, that we would have made of this venture. The salt mines are roughly half an hour's drive from here and thanks to the shortcuts we are now four hours ahead of schedule."

Gideon was not swayed, he went to make an evil face surprisingly identical to the Coachman's in every way (except for the fur and whiskers.)

"Gideon," Honest John's face was now serious. "We have made plenty of money out of selling that naïve wooden boy to Stromboli, I mean fair enough he escaped, but when that pompous windbag finds out it'll be too late, because by then we'll be making money elsewhere, we're promised the lives of millionaires with this job and now we are faced with this golden opportunity that we can't afford to miss. The Coachman will be surprised when we bring back his share. When he sees that we can make money out of any situation, he'll see that we're not ordinary goons like those three unfortunate morons, but true men of business."

Gideon thought long and hard about this. He then nodded stupidly.

"Great, it's off to the seaside." He turned the truck towards the beach.

"_Hi diddle di di, it's millions for me_

_A swimming pool, and a stately home._

_Thousands of villas from France to Rome…"_

In the back, one of the donkeys in the crate opposite Lampwick and Alexander stuck his head out. Alexander recognised this one as the donkey who was shoved in front of the Coachman before he was.

"My name's Ken," he said, his voice suggested he was about the same age as Lampwick. "I've got an idea."


	7. The Escape

Chapter 6

The Escape

The truck pulled up to Monstro's lifeless body. Gideon pulled out a case that contained everything necessary to their task. The moment they were out of earshot, it was time for the donkeys to put their plan in operation.

"Okay Alexander," whispered Ken. "Your head's small enough to get through the gaps. If you can nudge out the latch that's keeping the crate shut, you can get us out of here."

"But we could have done that at anytime," protested Lampwick.

"That's what I thought," said Ken, "but if we'd tried to escape while there were other people around, we'd have been rounded up easily. Now there's twelve of us and only two of them. Even if they realise we've escaped, they won't get within kicking distance of us. What can go wrong? We'll figure out a way to help the others when we're as far away from those clowns as possible."

Alexander did what he was told, and it worked… they were out! Alexander went to free Ken and his crate buddy, Lampwick worked on the next in line.

"Gideon!"

The donkeys looked in the direction of the two villains in horror. The jig was up…

"We need a piece that we can fit on the truck."

Gideon had raised his axe to hack off all of Monstro's flipper and was now sticking the handle in the sand in exasperation. Honest John whipped out his tape measure and started to head back towards the truck.

"Quick!" hissed Ken. "Back in your crates!"

Honest John rolled his tape measure out to the end of the truck where the crates were kept. Lampwick was tense and on edge… He's going to notice the latches are out, he thought, I just know it. But the fox seemed more concerned about the measurement than the donkeys. With his finger squarely on the measurement he wanted, he headed back to Monstro's corpse.

There were no more interruptions after that. As soon as each donkey was out, they jumped silently down from the truck. Alexander looked out towards Honest John and Gideon.

"Come on, Alex," hissed Lampwick.

"What about them?" said Alexander.

"We'll be far away from them if we move it," hissed Lampwick. "So let's go."

"No, I mean…" Alexander took a deep breath. "You saw what happened to those three people, back at the docks. If that man finds out they let us escape, he'll do the same to them."

"For crying out loud Alex, that's not our problem," protested Lampwick.

"I know but…" Alexander looked back at them, Gideon had raised the axe above his head, only for the weight of the blade to bring him down on his backside. "I know they're crooks, but even they don't deserve to die like that."

"What do you mean they don't deserve it? They're trying to sell us all, and they don't care what happens to us, as long as they're rich."

"But…"

"Look, Alex, you may have survived on having a conscience. But I've never needed a conscience when I was a human, and I sure as heck don't need one now."

Alexander was going to retort, "And look where it's got you!" But he knew it would do no good. They were all in the same boat, there was no going back on what happened now.

"We're out of those crates now and we should get out of here while we still can."

"It's like I said," said Ken proudly, unaware of a huge crab near his tail. "What can go wr- EEE-HAW!!"

Obviously, that, because that got Honest John and Gideon stopped what they were doing and saw the donkeys.

"Oh, swell," said Lampwick sarcastically.

"What are you doing, playing around with that axe, Giddy?!" yelled Honest John. "Get them!"

Quickly, with a flick of the tail Ken sent the crab flying straight at Gideon's face. He fell to the floor trying to pry the crab from his nose.

"Oh you useless cretin," snarled Honest John. "I'm left to do everything as usual."

He charged at the donkeys. They scattered, but Alexander was rooted to the spot in fright. Just as Honest John was almost on top of him, the little donkey quickly moved to on side… to reveal a rock pool. Honest John went flying into the water. As he pulled his head out, his face was smothered by a starfish and two crabs were clamped to his ears. By the time he ripped the starfish of his face, the donkeys were already disappearing up the road.

"Quick, Giddy, to the truck!"

The two crooks ran to the truck.

"Okay, Giddy, where's the starting handle?"

Gideon felt around himself, then searched his pockets. He shook his head and pointed at his associate.

"I don't have it."

They looked back the way they came and saw a crab with a pincer behind his back. When he revealed it he was holding the starting handle. He blew a raspberry at them and dived into the sea.

"Giddy," said Honest John slowly. "If it wasn't for the fact, that I'd have to face the Coachman alone, I'd have saved him the trouble of killing you!"

Meanwhile the donkeys had disappeared into the woods where Honest John and Gideon were likely to lose them.

"See guys," called Ken. "What can go wrong?"

He had barely finished speaking when the ground suddenly gave way and they fell through darkness…


	8. To the Salt Mines

Chapter 7

To the Salt Mines

The donkeys hit the ground and after a few dazed seconds they looked up. They had fallen through a hunter's trap. The setting of the trap had caused a bell to ring and from some way off they could hear voices getting closer and closer…

"Looks like we got another one stuck in the trap," came a deep commanding voice.

"It better not be another rabbit," came a high whiny voice. "If it's another rabbit I'll shoot the--"

"Clay," came the deep voice. "I know exactly what you'll do, because I keep threatening to do the same to you, if you don't shut up."

Two men appeared at the hole. One was a big man in his mid forties with black hair, muscular arms and a huge elephant gun, the other was a short skinny man in his early thirties with light brown hair and looked like he could hardly carry his elephant gun.

"Well, well, well," sneered the big man. "Looks like we got ourselves a whole herd of donkeys. It's funny, the boss hasn't reported a mass breakout."

"Well they're obviously not worth the aggravation, let's shoot 'em!" shouted Clay. He was just about to shoot, but the bigger man rammed the butt of his gun into Clay's stomach leaving him completely winded.

"Actually, they're ours," came Honest John's voice. He and Gideon appeared near the hole.

"Are you the delivery guys?" asked the big man.

"Yes, we are," answered Honest John simply.

"What happened to the other guys?"

"Well… They got a bit tied up," said Honest John.

"Sad really," said Clay. "I mean I wouldn't want to get on that Boulder's bad side and I don't know how I kept myself from shooting that Stoat. But Vicky, we were meant for each other. Every time, our eyes met we knew there was something special between us."

"Yeah, the number of times she did this to you says it all," the big man rumbled.

"Did wh- Omph!" The big man had punched him in the face. "Sorry, about Clay pal. He's so stupid, I'm surprised he's lived this long."

"Sounds like he and Gideon could get on really well together," drawled Honest John. "Eh, Giddy?"

Gideon, who had picked up a carrot, looked at Honest John, nodded stupidly and brought it towards his mouth unaware that it was attached to something. The next thing he knew a net came out from under him and left him hanging.

"I hear ya," said the big man. "Tom Thunder, head keeper of the salt mines territory."

"Pleased to meet you," said Honest John shaking Thunder's hand (and getting it crushed as well.) "This may sound absurd but… just what are these traps."

Thunder went to cut Gideon down and said, "Salt is made from the sweat and blood of donkeys. With every donkey you lose, you lose 5,000 worth of gold. So you take every precaution possible to keep 'em in your sights." He swiped the net and Gideon fell to the ground. "I suggest you do the same. Now if you get your truck, Clay and I will get the lift and we'll sort this out."

Honest John was rather reluctant to admit what he had to say. "Um, Mr Thunder there's just one little problem with getting the truck…"

"You can borrow my starting handle. Clay get the lift." As soon as Clay was out of earshot, Thunder whispered, "You can keep it, it's actually Clay's."

The lift was an elevator-like box. Supported by the branch of a tree, Thunder was lowered into the hole with it to help herd the donkeys. They didn't try to resist, Thunder was dangerous-looking and they knew it would do no good. Even Clay looked dangerous as they were back on the truck within minutes.

Before long, Honest John and Gideon were back on the road again. Lampwick could not believe this, they had been so close to freedom and because they were careless they were heading to the salt mines.

The countryside gave way to a vast plain. There was a huge crater in the middle and that was where they were headed. As they entered, they could see men chipping walls, donkeys waiting near carts and dark tunnels going leading into pitch black darkness. A man in his early sixties wearing a black suit and a miner's helmet was signing something on a clipboard and when he noticed the truck he handed it to a worker and went over to greet them.

"Ray Bothmaron, owner of these mines. Have you brought the animals?"


	9. Tremor

Chapter 8

Tremor

The donkeys were loaded off the truck and put in a row before Bothmaron. Bothmaron paid Honest John, who was relieved to find out that they had made it just in time. Before long, he and Gideon were in the truck and out of there. Lampwick and Alexander watched as the truck disappeared in the distance. Bothmaron was inspecting the donkeys. He stopped at Lampwick and Alexander.

"Hmm… they seem healthy looking. Put them with Tremor," he called to a worker.

Lampwick and Alexander were led to a corral with a dirty field shelter at the end of it. The worker locked them and walked off.

"What's gonna happen to us?" asked Alexander.

"You go the same way as any donkey in these mines," came a deep rumbling voice from inside the field shelter. Out of the darkness came a huge muscular donkey. He had a huge horrific scar over his right eye and he had a huge chunk missing from his right ear.

"Are you Tremor?" asked Lampwick.

"Not a bad guess," the old donkey snarled.

"I'm Lampwick, this is Alexander."

"Names mean nothing around here," growled Tremor. "You're new here so I'd better make this crystal clear." He moved towards them. "These are no donkey rides. If those wimps on the beaches think carting around some 16 stone fat boy is Hell, they should come here more often. Here, the only time we mean anything to those humans is when we have to cart salt back to the surface. Otherwise, we're simply the dirt beneath their feet. The message is written all over my body." He turned his side towards the two donkeys. His sides and back were completely covered in scars more horrific than the one on his face.

"Stop it," cried Lampwick. "You're scaring Alexander."

Alexander was indeed cowering in the corner of the corral. Tremor looked up at Lampwick, snorted threateningly and moved towards him.

"Now look here Candlewick," he snarled.

"Lampwick!"

"Whatever! You're not a human anymore, you're a donkey. In these parts, dignity belongs to a human, not a donkey." He began to calm down. "Don't make the mistake of thinking I'm proud of telling the kid this, but he might as well go in there prepared for what's coming." He backed away. "You've been lucky enough to miss today's shift but tomorrow the real work begins."

He went back to the shelter. Lampwick called after him "Were you a human once?"

Tremor stopped at the entrance and said "I don't talk about what I used to have and what I'm never gonna bet back."

It was almost as if some unknown evil made tomorrow come quicker than it should, because almost before Lampwick and Alexander realised it, they were waking up next morning. The smell inside the field shelter had been horrible. As they waited to be collected, Tremor came up to them.

"Kids," he said quietly. "I notice we've got off on the wrong hoof. It's just been so long since I've shared my corral, I guess I'm a little rusty at greeting newcomers."

"Don't sweat it," said Lampwick.

"It's okay," said Alexander timidly. It was not that he hadn't forgiven Tremor, but his appearance was still intimidating.

"Now, according to the humans we're taking that cart into shaft B. You two should be okay, so long as you stick with me."

A few seconds later, the workers came and led the donkeys to their cart. It was not so bad out in the open, having the fresh air all around them, but when they were underground and the entrance was out of sight, the heat was horrible. The lanterns lit the way for the donkeys, but as far as the heat went it did nothing to help. The three donkeys were sweating almost immediately. Alexander could not help but look up at the ceiling. At that instant a stone fell from the ceiling and hit him between the eyes.

"You're lucky that was only a stone." rumbled Tremor. "Never look up when you're underground."

Lampwick and Alexander were struggling now, but they had to keep going as there was a huge fat man behind them with a whip and they were quite keen to avoid it.

"We stop when we reach the end of the track," said Tremor.

It seemed like an eternity before they reached the end of the track. The man had already whipped the donkeys quite a few times. The feeling was horrible. The rest that they got was no the rest they had in mind… they were not allowed to sit down. They had to wait fifteen hours for the cart to be filled with salt. Men chiselled away at the wall with picks, while others laid down more tracks.

"Keep flexing your muscles," instructed Tremor. "It'll make going back a little bit easier."

Lampwick and Alexander flexed the muscles in their legs.

"How long have you been here?" asked Lampwick.

"Nearly 50 years," grumbled Tremor.

"50?!" gasped Lampwick. "But I thought donkeys…"

"It's amazing how much of your humanity stays with you when you turn into a donkey."

"So you were a human," said Alexander excitedly.

"I suppose I can't hide that from you," grumbled Tremor in a tone that could almost be described as a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Yeah, I was a human."

"What was your name?" asked Alexander.

"Look kids, keep flexing, you're slowing down."


	10. Slab

Chapter 9

Slab

Heading back to the surface was not easy. The feeling of the whips on their back was horrible.

"Why do they believe this will do any good," protested Alexander.

"They're humans," snarled Tremor. "It's in their nature to be stupid. We should know."

"That's not true," cried Alexander. "My mama wasn't." He began to think about all the times he disobeyed his mother only to be proven wrong, but this had to be the worst time to be wrong.

"If my mother was so smart, she wouldn't have met dad," said Lampwick.

"Are you saying you wish you weren't born?" said Tremor.

"I do now," sighed Lampwick.

"'Cause no matter what your dad did, blaming him ain't gonna make this better for you."

When they stepped out into the open it was evening. They looked around the site. Lampwick and Alexander recognised Ken coming out shaft A. They could see that he was in a bad way. No one seemed to care least of all Ray Bothmaron. He simply looked in each cart and smiled at the result.

"Great, at the rate we're going we'll meet this weeks quota. Slab," he looked at the enormous man who had been with Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor. "How were Tremor's new friends?"

Slab simply threw back his whip and brought it down with a huge _crack_ in front of Alexander. He sniggered evilly as the little donkey backed away in fright.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," drawled Bothmaron remorselessly. "I'll say it again for you Slab, I proved those quacks at the Institute for the Criminally Insane wrong when I said I could find a use for your… um… tendencies."

Slab started chuckling like an overgrown three-year old. Bothmaron reached into his jacket and pulled out a cuddly toy rabbit.

"Aren't they a bit old for playing dolls?" sniggered Lampwick. But the smirk was wiped off his face as Bothmaron threw the toy like a man playing fetch with a dog, and like a dog Slab tore after it. He started whipping and beating it savagely, until the toy was barely recognisable. The workers flinched at the scene before them but Bothmaron just watched. Slab then pointed to the woods some way off.

"Sure, Slab, go ahead and have some fun, just as long as your back by six in the morning. But remember… if you're going to bring back souvenirs again, wash them in the river first."

Slab grunted and nodded. He looked towards the three donkeys. Lampwick and Alexander were terrified. But Slab seemed to be looking towards Tremor. The old donkey stared back at Slab fearlessly, the eye contact with those eyes of the monster of a human in front of him, never broken. Slab grinned maliciously, his teeth and gums rotten and he thundered off towards the woods.

"Alright, everybody," called Bothmaron, "get the donkeys back to the corrals. I've never been more excited about meeting our quota, so as of tonight whichever team brings out the largest amount of salt by the end of Sunday's shift will be promoted."

"You mean… office duty?" said a worker excitedly.

"Office duty," said Bothmaron in the same tone. "If you do real good, I might consider a vice presidential role."

The workers erupted into cheers and applause. They talked loudly as they sent the donkeys back to the corral and went to their bunkers. Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor walked to the shelter.

"Why did Slab look at you like that?" asked Lampwick.

"Oh, he's had it in for me since he first came here," grumbled Tremor contemptuously. "He's always trying to get me to drop… dead!" he added noticing the confused look on their faces. "He only lays off me on special occasions ."

"What kind of occasions?" asked Alexander.

"Christmas and Thanksgiving, to name two. Those two morons in the woods, Thunder and Clay, they bring back a live turkey, and Bothmaron leaves Slab to do the rest. He also lays off me when… someone's about to drop."

Alexander and Lampwick gasped.

"He has some sort of sixth sense. He knows when someone's close to death and he just loves to watch it happen."

Alexander could not stand to listen any longer and began to cry.

"Let it out kid," said Tremor. "If you live as long as I have, it doesn't make you cry as much. I saw it happen to my three best friends… slow and humiliating."

"There's gotta be something we can do," sobbed Alexander.

"It's no use crying about what you're not gonna get, kid," said Tremor settling down to sleep.

"I always believed that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true," sniffled Alexander.

"Alexander, let's just be realistic now," said Lampwick. "That's only a fairy tale and fairy tales are not gonna help us."

As Alexander finally settled down, Lampwick walked outside and looked up into the night sky. There it was… the wishing star. But what good would it do, every night he used to wish for his life to get better, and nothing happened. There was only one time when he nearly believed his wish was coming true… he went to Pleasure Island.

The next morning, Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor were to go into shaft G.

"This one was started recently, so we should be a little more near the entrance," explained Tremor.

Lampwick and Alexander noticed that Ken still looked ill. When they entered the shaft, they realised that Slab wasn't there. What Tremor said last night, hit them hard, "He only lays off me when… someone's about to drop." It felt like something cold went down their throats… because it was incontrovertible who he had gone after.


	11. The Blue Fairy

Chapter 10

The Blue Fairy

Ken's body was carted out of shaft A that evening. The donkeys were horrified, they were thankful that Ken's body was covered by a sheet, they could not bear to think what Slab had done. Lampwick looked contemptuously towards Bothmaron and Slab. Bothmaron stared after the cart exasperatedly and sneered, "There's always a few first timers, that don't make it through the week, isn't there?" while Slab just chuckled evilly and loped off towards the wood for his evening hunt.

"This happens all the time," grumbled Tremor remorsefully. "Every week 5 donkeys at most drop and never get back up. If little more than two drop, you can be sure that there will be a heavy mortality next week… and do the humans care?"

They looked towards Bothmaron and the workers. Even though they were now one donkey short, they were sure to meet their quota now, and Bothmaron had just raised the reward to promotion, two weeks paid vacation and a miniature umbrella to put in their cocktail drinks. If some tiny umbrella was more important than the life of a donkey, of course they didn't care.

The evening air was filled with the smell of smoke as Ken's body was cremated. Lampwick could not get to sleep. Alexander and Tremor were fast asleep. Lampwick looked at them. He knew that Alexander was the most innocent and did not deserve the fate that befell Ken and Tremor, even though he had pretended not to show it, had cared very much for them, he had took them under his wing when no other donkey probably would. He had said himself that the idea was stupid… but he had to do it.

He walked outside the shelter, and craned his neck as far as he could. Above the smoke was the wishing star. Since he could not put himself in a prayer position he simply lowed his head and whispered,

"Star light, star bright,

First star I see tonight,

I wish I may,

I wish I might,

Have the wish I make tonight."

Lampwick looked up and said, "I wish you could save us all… one way or another. Not just us but every one who's still alive somewhere."

He waited a while, until the smoke from the distant fire blocked out the star. Lampwick should have known it was not going to happen… he might as well accept his fate. He stared at the ground, he stared at his shadow… Wait a minute, he thought, the moon's not even out. He looked up. A bright light was penetrating the smoke, a strange ethereal ringing sound was sounding out.

"What the heck?" Tremor had just woken up and Alexander was right behind him.

Lampwick backed away. Then a figure stepped from the light. It was a beautiful woman with blond hair and her blue dress glittered like the light surrounding her. She held a wand in her hand and had nearly transparent wings on her back. It couldn't have been… it was… it was a fairy… a Blue Fairy!

The three donkeys were lost for words. The Fairy looked down upon them with a kindly smile and spoke, "Alexander, despite your faults you are kind even to those who do not deserve it." Alexander smiled bashfully. "Tremor, strong and fearless, your scarred exterior and your bitterness still hides a gentle heart." Tremor was still at a loss. "And you Lampwick, this wish may be the first step to understanding compassion. The three of you deserve to have this wish come true."

"You mean… you're gonna change us back?" beamed Lampwick.

"I'm afraid, it is not that simple. I can't change you back so long as the curse of Pleasure Island is still unbroken. That is another reason why I am here, to help you lift this curse. I have been watching a boy, whom you know very well Lampwick, and straying from the straight and narrow path led him to Pleasure Island."

"You mean… Pinocchio?" gasped Lampwick.

"Yes…" said the Blue Fairy. "The curse has been appeased many times despite our best efforts to keep it hidden from the world. Because I've watched Pinocchio, I now realise how the boys have found Pleasure Island… the Coachman."

"You know that guy?" asked Lampwick. "How?"

After a few seconds' pause, the Blue Fairy simply said, "I wish I could tell you. All I can say is… the only way any of you can see human life again, is to brake the curse of Pleasure Island and by so doing defeat the Coachman."

"But how?" asked Alexander.

"I can't tell you everything here and now. Lampwick, you still have a long way to go before proving yourself brave, truthful and unselfish. This will help you more than you will realise."

The woman stepped backwards into the light from whence she came. Then the light faded, leaving Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor dumbstruck.

Alexander broke the silence. "So what do we do?

"I don't know, do I?" said Lampwick.

"I can't see how we can get out," grumbled Tremor. "The cliffs surrounding the valley are too steep, the only way out is the woods and road. You can't stay on the road because you're out in the open and you can't go in the woods because you'll get caught in the traps, that those two cretins set up… Uh-oh, speak of the devil, get back in the shelter."

They slid silently back into the shelter, and sure enough Thunder and Clay were walking past the corrals. Clay appeared to be in a bad mood.

"I'm telling you Thunder," he whined "I've had it up to here with that big monstrosity tearing through the woods, ruining all off our traps and I'm having a few words with Bothmaron about it. That box trap took me a whole week to put together."

"Kinda' like takes you a whole month to put one and one together to make two," sneered Thunder.

"Alright, very funny Thunder, ha, ha, ha, but I'm telling you, pal, that big lug will be responsible for every donkey in these mines getting away one of these days."

While Clay was busy yammering away, he was unaware of a piece of paper falling from his pocket. A breeze blew the paper through the gate and into the shelter. With a bit of difficulty, they managed to unfold the paper.

"It's a map," gasped Tremor. "This is what they use to plot the strategic location for the traps."

Lampwick looked at the map, thought for a minute and then looked at the map again. Then it hit him…

"Guys… I have a plan…"


	12. Told Ya So!

Chapter 11

Told Ya So!

The sun began to rise. Lampwick could only hope his idea will work now. They lined up as normal. Bothmaron was beside himself with joy, "I haven't been this excited since the reading of my father's will."

Lampwick walked close to the worker leading him, raised his hoof over the mans foot and then…

_**WHAM!!**_

_**AAARRRGGGHHH!!**_

Tremor kicked his worker in the stomach, while Alexander bit the hand of his worker. The three donkeys made a dash for it, they went for the workers that were leading donkeys and bowled them over. Within minutes, every donkey in the crater was making a bid for freedom.

"Slab!" yelled Bothmaron. "Get them!"

Slab immediately sprung into action.

"Tremor," shouted Lampwick above the noise. "You're on!"

Tremor charged towards Slab and head butted him in the stomach. Slab regained himself. Both man and donkey eyed each other challengingly. It all came down to this. Slab raised his whip and brought it down narrowly missing Tremor. The old donkey charged again turned and kicked him straight in the knee. With a howl of pain, the giant of a man toppled. Now Slab's face was full of rage. Tremor looked up the slope leading out of the crater. The donkeys were out of sight.

"Alright, Chubby," he snarled threateningly. "Come and get me."

He dashed for it. Roaring with rage, Slab tore after him. Tremor ran for the woods, repeating to himself embarrassedly, "It's only a tactical retreat, it's only a tactical retreat, there's no need to call yourself a coward, you'll be laughing about this one day."

He jumped behind a bush and whispered to the on next to it, "Is everyone hidden?"

"Yeah we're hidden," came Lampwick's voice. "Just get movin'!"

Tremor immediately leapt over a giant patch of leaves. Slab ripped through the bushes narrowly missing where all the donkey's were hidden. Tremor brayed, not a normal donkey's bray, but a low, threatening bray… a challenge. Slab immediately charged… and fell through the patch of leaves into the hole underneath. Now this was personal. He climbed out of the hole and the chase continued. The donkeys crept silently around the hole.

Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor had memorised the map last night and decided that by allowing Slab to set off the traps in a certain area, it would give the donkeys a straight route to freedom. It was paying off, Slab fell through more holes, got caught in nets or box traps and there was even a few close calls with jaw traps and all the while, Lampwick, Alexander and the other donkeys crept along behind keeping themselves out of sight.

After what must have been half an hour, Tremor could see a gap in the trees. He was nearly out. He was just about to break through when…

"Out for a walk in the woods, huh?"

Thunder and Clay blocked Tremor's path, their elephant guns pointer straight at him. Slab appeared and raised his whip above his head. The other donkeys appeared just in time to see Slab started to raise the whip. Alexander summoned up his courage, ran at Slab's backside, turned and kicked…

Slab began to teeter on the spot. Thunder and Clay noticed and Tremor used the opportunity to get out of the way. Thunder swayed and tottered toward Thunder and Clay and with an almighty _CRASH,_ landed right on top of them. The donkeys sped over the collapsed giant and to freedom. Thunder and Clay popped their heads out from underneath Slab just I time to see the donkeys disappear over the hills.

"Told ya so!" said Clay.

Bothmaron appeared. He was seething.

"Thunder, Clay! Get the guy who sold me those donkeys… now!"

The donkeys cheered as they smelt freedom.

"Alexander, that was amazing," cheered Lampwick.

"I have my moments," said Alexander coolly.

"Don't get cocky, kid," said Tremor, although by the look on his face, he was just as impressed with Alexander as Lampwick. "We still gotta get that curse lifted. Lampwick, Alexander, are you still up for it."

"Yep," said Lampwick.

"You betcha!"

"Great, the rest of you find somewhere where you'll find food and shelter easily, and don't let anyone find you. If all goes well… we'll get our lives back.

So Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor went a different way to the other donkeys, they were free and on their way to lift the curse of Pleasure Island.


	13. Compensational Matters

Chapter 12

Compensational Matters

The Coachman's wagon pulled up at the entrance to the mine. In the front seat with the Coachman were Honest John and Gideon. Thunder and Clay were waiting for them. The Coachman began to climb down.

"Watch the coach," he whispered.

"Okay pal," said Thunder. "We're here to escort you to the boss."

"And no funny stuff," said Clay raising his gun.

"Easy lads, easy," said the Coachman using that grandfatherly façade which had never failed him yet. "I just want to settle this matter peacefully."

The Coachman walked with the two men into the crater. Bothmaron, Slab and the other workers were waiting.

"Ah, Ray Bothmaron," said the Coachman. "How are you?"

"Don't patronise me," snarled Bothmaron. "I didn't bring you here to say 'hi.' I brought you here on a compensational matter. The donkeys your lackeys brought here a few days ago escaped this morning."

"I see," said the Coachman feigning concern. It was then that he noticed something on one of the fence posts. He looked at Bothmaron and asked, "Um, do you mind if I go over there to light my pipe?"

Bothmaron rolled his eyes and replied, "If you must!"

"Thank you," said the Coachman as he started to walk towards the fence post.

"No tricks," shouted Clay, raising his gun again.

"Ah, clam it, Clay," sneered Thunder pushing the gun down. "He's an old man. What's he gonna do? Hit us with his walking stick?"

The workers laughed but the Coachman just let it wash over his head… those morons had no idea. He knelt down to look at the fence post. He rubbed his finger over the top of it. There was no denying… it was fairy dust. He grinned malevolently, lit his pipe and walked back, his "kindly" expression back on his face.

"Sorry about that, Mr Bothmaron," he said. "Do carry on."

Bothmoran took a deep breath and said, "When my father received this company from his father, God rest both their spirits, he vowed to make the salt industry the biggest in the world and if it meant the sacrifice of a few donkeys, then so be it. When my father gave it to me, I made that exact same vow. You were there when my father's will was read."

"Indeed I was," said the Coachman.

"But now that all those donkeys have escaped, that vow can never come to fruition. I hoped it would never come to this, but I want compensation for this loss and you're not leaving these mines until I get it."

The Coachman simply looked at Bothmaron, his face appearing sympathetic. He puffed on his pipe and said, "Very well, but you're gonna have to discuss compensational matters with my associates." He took his whistle out and blew.

Nothing happened.

"You're wasting my time now," said Bothmaron. "Slab!"

Slab appeared to have been waiting for this ever since the Coachman arrived. He chuckled excitedly and was just about to raise his whip when… a strange noise that sounded like both breath and wind came from shaft D.

The workers began to worry. Slab crept towards the shaft. Thunder and Clay were behind him, guns at the ready. Slab stopped at the entrance and listened. The sound echoed of the walls… then it stopped. Slab was about to walk back to the others when…

_**WHOOSH!**_

A huge cloud of black smoke sent him flying. The smoke poured into his mouth and he started to writhe. He quickly went rigid and smoke began to pour out of his eyes, ears, mouth and nose and wrap around his body into a large cocoon. With a sickening crunch, the cocoon twisted it's self until it was barely visible. Without a seconds delay, it evaporated leaving no sign of Slab.

Clay dropped his gun in horror. The two men ran back towards the men. Bothmaron looked towards the Coachman. It was if he had stepped into a nightmare. Where the kind, understanding face once was, there was a smile and a glare so chilling, the Devil would recoil in fear.

"Pleasure doing business with you… while it lasted."

Laughing evilly, he walked towards the entrance. Bothmaron looked back towards Thunder and Clay. They were literally two feet away, when a huge blast of black smoke billowed out of the shaft, engulfing the two men. The same happened with all seven shafts, black smoke rushed from the entrances and swallowed up every last man. The whole crater was full of black smoke, cocoons rising high above the scene and twisting with horrifying crunches. Only one man stepped from the smoke, a cruel malignant smile on his face. He walked back to the coach where Honest John and Gideon had closed their eyes and looked away.

"Right you two," the Coachman growled. "Let's go."

"If I may say so," said Honest John nervously. "I don't mean to question your judgement, but those were your biggest clients."

"Money can wait this time," snarled the Coachman. "An old girlfriend is in the neighbourhood, and I want to throw a big welcome party." A cold, chilling grin filled his face. "I want it to be a party neither she nor I will forget."

The coach made off over the hills, while the smoke cleared and the last cocoons twisted and evaporated into nothing.


	14. A Good Lead

Chapter 13

A Good Lead

Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor were still walking their long walk. They had decided the best place to start looking would be the docks. The sun was just setting behind the mountains.

"Are we there yet?" complained Lampwick.

"Say that again, Lampwick…" snarled Tremor.

"Okay… okay, I'm sorry," said Lampwick. "I'm just thirsty. I haven't had a drink since I left the island. How often did they feed and water the donkeys back there.

"After Sunday's shift," said Tremor.

"Just my luck," grumbled Lampwick.

"There's bound to be some water around here," said Alexander.

Lampwick had to admire Alexander's optimism, if only they knew where they were. They had stayed off the road but had kept as close to it as they could. But now the road forked into three and the signs were rusted.

"There's got to be something around here that rings a bell," groaned Lampwick.

He had barely finished speaking when the sound of whips came from some way off. Lampwick wasted no time. He hissed "Behind that tree," and the three donkeys were out of sight just as the coach came into view. At the front of the coach was the Coachman cracking away at the mules, and Honest John and Gideon were hanging on for dear life. They disappeared down the middle road.

"For once I'm actually glad to see those guys," said Alexander.

"How can you be glad to see them?" said Lampwick. "They're villains."

"They're the reason why we're like this," snarled Tremor.

Alexander rolled his eyes. How slow could those two get?

"They're probably heading back to the docks. We could follow the tracks."

The two donkeys stood still for a minute.

"Ooooohhhh."

The three donkeys followed the tracks. It made choosing which way to go at the crossroads easier. Eventually they found the docks. They would have brayed for joy had the Coachman's minions not been prowling the docks.

"So where do we start looking?" asked Lampwick.

"Um… guys," said Alexander.

He pointed with his tail. Honest John and Gideon were heading their way.

"Quick in that shed," hissed Tremor.

They quickly rushed towards the shed and hid. They listened as Honest John and Gideon walked past.

"…don't understand how he controls those creatures. And this old girlfriend of his… If you ask me Giddy, which obviously you can't, there's something the Coachman isn't telling us…"

Their voices died away. Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor looked at each other. Lampwick eyed the room. There was nothing interesting around… except for a newspaper article headlined "Tragedy leads to Pleasure Island Closure" lying on a desk. Lampwick pulled the article off the desk and brought it back to his companions. It read:

"_Pleasure Island had been the biggest amusement park in the history of the world for 20 years. From the amazing rides to the petting zoo, there has been something for kids of all ages. But this came to a horrific end today, when some older kids started tearing up the park. The owner, Roland Magrus, 58, tried to stop the chaos, but was trampled to death when the donkeys from the petting zoo panicked. After the chaos was over, Pleasure Island was damaged beyond repair and was deemed unsafe._

"_It was a tough choice to make," said Arnold Corbett, Inspector for Amusement Park, Health and Safety. "But the park had to be closed. There is no way in heaven or earth that it can be repaired."_

_Betty Magrus, widow of Ronald Magrus, was unavailable for comment."_

"This newspaper is dated the same year I was born," said Tremor. "So this happened 60 years ago."

"And everything about bad kids and donkeys seems to fit together." said Lampwick. "There's just one thing I don't get… if the park was smashed up, how come it was all right when we got there. You read the article, "There is no way in heaven or earth that it can be repaired."

"Unless," rumbled Tremor. "we're not dealing with anything from heaven or earth."

These words sent a shiver down Lampwick's spine. Everything was quiet outside. They could not stay here forever. Lampwick stuck his head out of the door. There was nobody around. Lampwick was about to leave the shed when…

"There you are!"

Someone yanked his ears and pulled him upwards. It was the Coachman. Tremor and Alexander tried to rush to his aid, but the shadow creatures appeared from no where and scooped them up.

"Now… what to do with you," snarled the Coachman.

"You will do nothing," came a strong female voice.

The wishing star emitting a strange ethereal light and a heavenly ringing filled the air. The light shone down near the creatures forcing them to drop Tremor and Alexander and flee. Honest John and Gideon shielded their eyes. The Blue Fairy stepped from the light.

"Well I'll be…" gasped Honest John.

"Put him down, Coachman," ordered the Blue Fairy.

"As you wish," sneered the Coachman and he threw Lampwick down. "How are you, my lovely?"

Lampwick only just noticed that Gideon had raised his mallet above the Fairy's head and brought it down upon her… at least he would have done had the Fairy not raised her wand causing the mallet to float in midair.

"Very well thank you," she said as Gideon looked up to see the mallet fall down on his head. "I see you've made well for yourself at the expense of others… even as a mortal."

"Oh, don't start all that rubbish," the Coachman growled. "We've only seen one another for half a minute after 60 years, and you're already trying to make me feel guilty for my sins… as if you could. You should have sent me to the netherworld when you had the chance. But you showed me mercy, and made me live a mortals life. But you only prolonged the inevitable… when you cage great power, that power grows stronger."

He pulled out his whip. The Blue Fairy held her wand before her face. It was a duel…


	15. A Powerful Clash

Chapter 14

A Powerful Clash

"Ladies first…" the Coachman sneered.

It just took a flick of the wand, and a huge spout of fairy dust shot out and immediately encumbered the Coachman. When the light and dust cleared, he was still there smiling his demonic smile.

"Not bad… as the power of good goes. This is how an evil being does it."

He threw back his whip and cracked. The whip seemed to unnaturally elongate itself. It wrapped itself around the Blue Fairy's torso. Before she could react, the Coachman threw the whip back taking the Fairy with it. He brought it down hard and the Blue Fairy lay on the ground. There was no visible sign of injury but the sudden attack had clearly weakened her.

Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor were about to run to help her but she held up her hand.

"No! This between the Coachman and I. Even if I can't defeat him, you'll still have a chance to lift the curse."

They did not want to back away like cowards, but what choice did they have? The Coachman began to stride towards her. The Fairy quickly flicked her wand and a bullet of magic dust shot out and hit the Coachman square in the face. Although the worst it did was daze him for a while, it gave her time to get back up. She regained her goddess-like presence as if she was never injured. The Coachman got up.

"You always were a bit of a girl, when it came to playing hard to get."

Lampwick and Alexander were getting grossed out by all this hitting on the Fairy. But Tremor wasn't really surprised, he had heard Thunder, Clay and the other workers talking about women in ways that are best left to the imagination.

The Coachman cracked his whip again but the Fairy was ready for it this time. The whip connected with the tip of her wand. The Coachman tried to yank it free, but the Blue Fairy obviously had the upper hand now…

Fury over his face, the Coachman cracked his whip. It began to glow red. The wand glowed red as well. The Blue Fairy began to struggle.

"What did you think making me mortal would solve, eh?" snarled the Coachman. "Did you think time amongst mortals would teach me all that "bravery, truth and unselfishness," load of ol' rubbish? This is how criminals escape justice, cowardly ninnies who just don't have it in them to see others suffer!"

The wand exploded and the Blue Fairy collapsed to the ground again. Her heavenly aura was starting to fade. To see her this weak was a horrible sight to behold. She looked up at the Coachman.

"Immortality can be a curse… even for beings like me," she said weakly. "I've seen millions of good people die, people whom I've helped… people who deserved to have their wishes come true."

The Coachman scoffed contemptuously. "It can be a curse for beings with a conscience. But I've never needed a conscience when I was on top of the world… and I sure as 'eck don't need it now!"

Those words hit Lampwick hard as he remembered back to that moment on the beach when Alexander had second thoughts about leaving Honest John and Gideon to their fate. The Coachman clasped his hands around the Blue Fairy's neck and brought her towards his face. The Blue Fairy made no attempt to resist as the Coachman tightened his grip.

"As long as Pleasure Island remains cursed, I will always be the most powerful being in the 'ole universe."

The Blue Fairy did not choke as his grip grew tighter and tighter. She simply looked at the Coachman and said, "You may have killed me, but your reliance on the curse will be your downfall. Good will prevail over evil, like it always has done."

The Blue Fairy looked towards Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor and smiled. Although she remained beautiful, her heavenly aura was now completely gone. She closed her eyes and her body began to twinkle. Her body slowly began to take the form of magic dust. It rose high into the night sky and disappeared.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Despite knowing it would do no good, Lampwick, Alexander and Tremor tried to run to were the Blue Fairy once was, but the shadow creatures blocked his path.

"Now where were we?" jeered the Coachman remorselessly. Alexander and Lampwick turned back and ran towards the platform on the docks. Tremor backed away slowly, his teeth baring angrily. As soon as they were all on the platform, the Coachman raised his whip and as he cracked it lengthened unnaturally again started to splinter the platform. It was hard to see what was going on. Once the whip had finished its work, there was nothing left of the platform… and the donkeys were no where to be seen. The Coachman smiled evilly and turned towards Honest John, Gideon and the shadow creatures.

"Alright you blokes, back to work!"

"But, Coachman," spoke up Honest John. "What it they survived?

"I shouldn't think they'd survive that," sneered the Coachman. "Even if they did, so what? The curse is too powerful, not even the Blue Fairy could have broken it. Without her, there ain't a thing they can do."

He looked up towards the Wishing Star. It slowly but surely died away…


	16. Back on Pleasure Island

Chapter 15

Back on Pleasure Island

The horrifying sight of the Coachman thrashing his whip at them was the last thing Lampwick could remember when he eventually regained consciousness. He opened his eyes to see Alexander looking down on him.

"He's okay Tremor, he's waking up."

Tremor appeared by his side. Lampwick got to his feet and looked around. They were on a rocky shore, behind them was a huge mountain wall. A few feet away was a dock and in the wall was a huge gate. Lampwick recognised where they were… Pleasure Island. His thoughts then turned to what happened back at the mainland. He looked up at where the Wishing Star once was. There was nothing but night sky. All the stars were beautiful in their individual way, but none were so beautiful as the Wishing Star. The donkeys held two minutes of silence for the Blue Fairy's memory.

"It's our fault," sobbed Alexander. "If we'd stayed in school, listened to our parents and not had anything to do with Pleasure Island, she wouldn't have died for us." Lampwick knew that he was right.

"So what do we do now?" grumbled Tremor. "The Blue Fairy was the only one who could change us back when the curse was lifted. Even if the curse is lifted, we'll stay donkeys forever."

"I'll tell you what we'll do," said Lampwick. "We lift the curse, no matter what happens. You're right Tremor, we shouldn't be crying about what we're not gonna get, but it's time to start worrying about what we can prevent. No matter what it takes, we've got to brake the curse and make sure the Coachman can't harm kids ever again. We're the last hope for the future."

"Hope!" scoffed Tremor. "Hope is for dreamers. If the Coachman has done this fifty times now, I'm one of the first to come here and become a donkey. I've seen all my friends die in those mines. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm the last person alive who went to Pleasure Island that night and you expect me to believe in hope."

"You had hope," argued Alexander.

Tremor was silent for a moment. "When I saw the Blue Fairy, it must have been the first time I ever had hope. It made me believe that I could finally walk on two legs again. But any hope I've had has died with her. Besides, even if I turn back into a human, I'm 61 years old, with nothing left to live for."

"So that's it then?" argued Lampwick. "You're just gonna give up on the present and future, just because the past hasn't done you any favours?"

"And we thought you were better than this," said Alexander.

Tremor looked like he wanted to argue back but he simply said, "If you wanna waste your time breaking the curse, go ahead, you're on your own."

Tremor looked out towards the mainland. Lampwick and Alexander watched Tremor for a few minutes then turned and walked towards the docks.

The gates were slightly ajar so it just took a few pushes to open it. To say that the place was a shambles would have been an understatement. The roller coaster, the Ferris wheel and the carousels looked like they been broken for decades, the ground was littered with pie trays, melted ice cream cones, soda cans cigars, you name it. They looked around the place. They passed the billiard place, and Lampwick noticed a sign marked "Adults Only!"

"At least there was something for everyone," said Lampwick.

They passed the Model Home, but they noticed a big difference: the sign was not saying "Model Home: Open for Destruction," it said "Manager's Office. They got an even bigger surprise when they found Tobacco Row… or at least what had been Tobacco Row. Instead of model Indians ready to throw cigars, there were fences, obviously intended to keep animals in.

"Is this a petting zoo?" asked Alexander.

"It's gotta be," said Lampwick, "there's nothing else it can be but I swear that this is Tobacco Row, I'd been back here for cigars often enough."

Then it began to click together.

"If I didn't know better," said Lampwick, "this is Pleasure Island after the vandals destroyed it. Whatever's behind the curse is not only turning us into donkeys, but transforming the park, so that it's ready for us."

"Are you sure?" said Alexander and he pointed his hoof towards something. It was the giant model gangster that had stood in front of the Rough House, the tent of which was nowhere to be seen. The thumb that pointed to behind him to indicate the Rough House was open was now pointing outwards. They walked towards it.

"Maybe Ronald Magrus was working on a new attraction before he died," said Lampwick.

"I don't know," said Alexander. "It doesn't seem like the kind of thing he'd want around here."

Lampwick looked up at the gangster. Now that he thought about it, it did stand out from what he had in mind of Pleasure Island's glory days. He looked at the pedestals on which the gangster was standing. He spotted something hidden in a tuft of grass in front of it. He went over to take a closer look at it.

"What is it, Lampwick?" called Alexander.

From what he could make out, it was some sort of switch. He pressed down on it. There came a rumbling sound which grew louder and louder. The ground between the gangster's feet began to open up. It showed a stairway going deep underground.

"Some attraction!" said Alexander surprised.

Reluctantly the two donkeys walked down the stairway. If they had stayed a bit longer, they would have noticed that the gangster's eyes were glowing red.

Back at the dock, the Coachman was just about to settle down for another ale.

"At last, the Blue Fairy is gone, and not a thing to worry about."

"You would like to think so wouldn't you."

The voice made the Coachman grab his whip.

"Relax, Coachman, it's me," said the voice.

The Coachman rolled his eyes contemptuously.

"What do you want?"

The voice spoke again. "I thought I should tell that of all the creatures that could find the catacombs and wake me up about 361 nights early are donkeys."

"And…? They're donkeys!"

The voice grew more threatening. "If those beasts of burden are smart enough to find the catacombs, they'll be smart enough to lift the curse, and need I remind you that as long as the curse is appeased every 5th of September, your power grows. If this curse is broken, you'll lose those powers and will be left to die a mortal's death.

"And need I remind you," sneered the Coachman, "that that doesn't make you my boss. As soon as I gets my old body back, I won't need you. Besides, I've just finished the Blue Fairy."

There was silence for a while then the voice said, "Hooray, if I had a physical form, I'd give you a medal."

The Coachman immediately stormed out of his office and roared "Alright you blokes, we're off to Pleasure Island. And no stupid questions from you this time," he snarled pointing his whip in Honest John's direction.


	17. The Catacombs

Chapter 16

The Catacombs

The night sky had soon disappeared as Lampwick and Alexander went deeper underground.

"Aaarrrggghhh!! There's a snake down here!" cried Lampwick.

"That's my tail, Lampwick."

"Oh… sorry. Umph. What was that?"

"A wall, probably."

"Ok, we'll go to the righ-- Umph. Okay, the left! Where are we? I can't see a thing. Who's to say we won't fall down a h-- AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!"

Lampwick and Alexander fell through darkness. They landed on a pile of leaves. The corridor ahead was lit by burning torches.

"That's more like it."

Lampwick and Alexander walked along the corridor wondering what was going to come next. They eventually saw a huge hall ahead of them.

"I don't like the look of this," said Alexander. "This is probably booby trapped."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," scoffed Lampwick. There was a cylinder shaped stone on the ground. "As sure as I can spell your name," he continued as he rolled the stone out into the hall, "this hall is not booby trapped."

The stone rolled onto a slab with a huge circle on it. The moment they made contact, a huge pillar slammed down crushing the stone. It rose back into the ceiling.

"How do you spell my name?" enquired Alexander.

"Um… A-L-I-K-S-A-N-D-R-E?" said Lampwick.

"We're dead."

Up top, the Coachman and his goons had arrived at the entrance.

"So they have found the entrance. Alright, you two blokes," he pointed at Honest John and Gideon, "go down there and bring it back up here. As for the donkeys, do what you want with them."

"I still don't see what the fuss is about," said Honest John. "They're only dumb animals."

"You're point being?" snarled the Coachman. He grabbed Honest John by the throat and pulled out his whistle. "Unless you want your life to take an unpleasant twist, stop questioning everything I say and do and get after those donkeys."

With that, he threw Honest John down the stairs. When the sound of tumbling stopped, a dazed voice came back from the dark, "Anything you say boss." Gideon tried to sneak away but the Coachman yanked him by the tail and threw him in as well.

Lampwick and Alexander were still having problems. Lampwick craned his neck out. As far as he could see, there were quite a few slabs with a circle on it.

"I think these slabs with circles on them are the ones that trigger the booby traps," he said. "I'll go first."

Further back, Honest John and Gideon were already having trouble.

"Giddy, stop holding onto my tail. We can see perfectly well in the da-- Umph! Okay, this w-- Umph! This wa-- Aarrgghh! Giddy, get out of the w-- OW! That was my foot you imbec- AAARRRGGGHHH!!"

They fell through the blackness. Honest John landed amongst the leaves. He was just about to celebrate his soft landing, when something hard landed on his head and rolled off it. Honest John, his top hat squashed in an accordion-like manner, got up, staggered a bit and said to Gideon in a dazed state, "Giddy, I know you never got the hang of landing on your feet, but if you're going to land on your head, please make a special effort not to land on mi--" before he fell unconscious.

Lampwick was never the good boy at school because he believed that caring for others led to doing something stupid and this proved how right he was. He walked out careful not to step on any slabs with circles on them. He walked around them carefully although there was one moment when there was a whole line of circled slabs. He made a jump for it and got over safely. Lampwick kept his teeth gritted throughout, but his gamble paid off, he got across.

"Okay Alexander, you're next.

Alexander was reluctant to go across. Voices sounded behind him.

"If he's got all these powers of evil, why can't he do things himself? Honest John do this, Honest John do that, Honest John, dance the Blue Danube for me, I'm feeling bored."

"Oh no, not those two again," said Lampwick. "Quick Alexander, go for it!"

As quickly and carefully as he could, Alexander navigated himself around the slabs. When he got to the line of circled slabs however, he couldn't go any further. He looked back, Honest John's complaining was growing louder. It was now or never. He jumped for it… and, possibly by a miracle, he made it. He navigated the rest of the traps and they ran through the door waiting for them.

Honest John and Gideon appeared at the other side of the hall. Honest John was about to walk straight out when Gideon pulled him back.

"What now Giddy?"

Gideon put his hand out in front of him and made two fingers from his other hand walk across it. He then pulled out his mallet, and bumped himself on the head, pulled out a flower and fell down dramatically.

"Giddy, I don't know what you're talking about now come on."

He grabbed Gideon by the tail and walked out into the hallway, dragging his associate along behind.

"If there's one thing I know, Giddy, nothing is going to happen."

How wrong he was…

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!"

Lampwick and Alexander ran through many corridors until they eventually found themselves at the end of a rope bridge. On the other side was a hanging stone platform, and on this platform was a pedestal with a crystal orb on it.

"Do you think this will help us break the curse?" asked Alexander

"Who knows," said Lampwick. "We've come this far. We might as well find out."

They started to walk across the bridge.

"Lampwick," said Alexander. "No matter what happens, if the Blue Fairy could see you now, she'd be proud of you."

Lampwick smiled, "Not as much as she'd be proud of you."

They reached the edge of the bridge. The orb was emitting a hellish red glow.

"So what do we do?" said Lampwick.

"You do nothing,"

The voice echoed around the cave. It was coming from the orb.

"You came all this way for a lost cause."

"Are you behind this curse?" said Lampwick immediately.

"Maybe," replied the voice.

"Because if you are we've come to rid this island of you," said Lampwick.

"Wouldn't that be kicking someone out of his own home," the voice spoke. "Haven't you guessed, I'm Ronald Magrus, the previous owner of Pleasure Island. After I was killed by the donkey stampede, my spirit somehow lingered and I somehow had the power to put the curse on the island."

"I recognise you now," said Lampwick. "You're the guy who made the announcements.

"That's right. 'Get your cake, pie, nil pickles and ice cream. Tobacco Row, Tobacco Row. Hurry, hurry, hurry. See your Model Home." Magrus's laughter echoed around the cave.

"But why would you do this?" asked Alexander.

"Because all I wanted was to make children happy, I wanted to see smiling faces as they got off that boat and look how I'm repaid. The Coachman had heard of the curse and came to make a deal, if the curse is appeased every 5th of September, I would help him regain his powers bit by bit. I also managed to turn the model monsters on the ghost train into creatures to do his bidding. There's nothing you can do to stop me. Only tremendous power can break this orb and there's nothing you can do about it."

Lampwick looked back at the other side of the bridge. Honest John and Gideon (who had somehow survived the booby traps) could be heard moaning as they were about to enter the cave. After everything they had done, it looked completely hopeless...


	18. The Final Conflict

Chapter 17

The Final Conflict

Honest John and Gideon appeared on the other side of the bridge. Honest John's tail appeared to have been crushed and Gideon appeared to have got through unharmed.

"My tail! Giddy, why didn't you warn me that that hallway might have been bobby-trapped?"

Gideon rolled his eyes. The two crooks went over the bridge. Magrus's voice sounded out.

"What do you want?"

"The Coachman sent us," groaned Honest John.

"Oh, so might I guess you've come to take me to a safer place until the curse is to be put into affect?"

"Yes," moaned Honest John.

"And what about these two intruders?" said Magrus.

Immediately, Gideon pulled out his mallet, but Honest John yanked it out of his hands, bumped him on the head with it ("Hic") and said, "No Giddy, I think we've had enough accidents for one night. I've got a better idea. The Coachman's always saying that his donkeys are becoming old and useless. These two might make a good start as replacements."

Although, he was careful not to show it, this gave Lampwick an idea.

"Alright Giddy, you grab the orb. I'll get the donkeys."

"Excuse me, the 'orb' has a name."

"Sorry. Giddy pick Magrus up."

"Thank you."

Lampwick came quietly. He quickly winked at Alexander. The little donkey had no idea what the plan was but went along with it. Soon, Lampwick and Alexander were leashed and Gideon had Magrus's orb in his hand.

"Since you wimpy cretins don't appear to go through those traps again we'll take the shortcut."

The platform began to raise as if by magic. The ceiling opened up and the night sky was revealed. Soon Honest John, Gideon, Lampwick and Alexander found themselves back on Pleasure Island. The Coachman and his creatures were waiting for them.

"Ah, Coachman, still having animals doing your dirty work."

The Coachman led a procession back to the ferry, Honest John, Gideon and the donkeys bringing up the rear. As the ferry was leaving, the Coachman glowered down on them.

"If you thought that working at the salt mines were 'Ell, prepare for a fate worse than death.

At that moment, they heard a low growling bray. They didn't have time to look when a huge donkey landed on the deck… it was Tremor. Lampwick took the opportunity to slam his hoof down on Gideon's foot causing him to drop Magrus's orb. Alexander did the same to Honest John and he dropped the leash. Tremor ran over to them.

"Tremor you came back," cried Lampwick.

"I couldn't just leave you to face the demon pork-pie. I think I understand your plan and I like it."

"Me too," said Alexander. "I think I get it."

"I'll distract the goons," said Lampwick.

"I'll get the Coachman's attention," said Tremor. "Alexander you get ready with the orb."

"But what if they kill you?" said Alexander.

"That's a risk we'll have to take," said Tremor. "Everything the Blue Fairy did, she did to make the world better, to make people happy, to make wishes and dreams come true. I'm not going to let everything she worked for die with her… not now that I found hope."

The Coachman blew his whistle. The creatures started to head towards them. Lampwick ran at them and brayed. The creatures headed after him. Tremor, meanwhile, ran at the Coachman. He brayed challengingly. Their eyes met.

"I remember you," sneered the Coachman. "Little Walter. Last time I saw you, you were 'eading for the salt mines, braying for mummy and daddy." Angrily, Tremor brayed loudly. "I see life in the salt mines has changed you. You're not a kid anymore."

Alexander ran towards the back of the boat where the orb had rolled.

"Don't just stand there you two morons," came Magrus's voice.

Honest John and Gideon sped towards the orb. Alexander changed course and ran in front of Honest John causing him to trip. Alexander stood in front of him as Gideon raised his mallet.

"Now, now, Giddy, let's not be rash," pleaded Honest John. "This is how accidents happen…"

But it was too late, Alexander had already dived out of the way and the mallet came down on Honest John, causing his hat to cover his entire head. As Alexander ran for the orb, Honest John tried to pull his hat off shouting and cursing unintelligibly, the only phrases that could be made out were, "Not Again!" and "I'll kill you for this Giddy! I swear I'll kill you!" At that he jumped up, grabbed a mop and wrung it, as if it were someone's neck. Gideon watched this scene with amusement. He never thought he'd live to see the day when Honest John lost his marbles.

Alexander started to roll the orb towards Tremor and the Coachman, who were getting ready to clash. Lampwick meanwhile had reached the front of the boat, there was no where left to run. Lampwick turned to see the creatures nearly on top of him. The Coachman raised his whip and as he did so flames started to sprout from it. The creatures exhaled their black smoke and it started to move towards Lampwick. Alexander kicked the orb and it rolled towards Tremor. The Coachman cracked the whip. Tremor jumped out of the way… and the orb rolled straight into the path of the whip.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Magrus's scream was enough to chill the blood, as the orb shattered into a million pieces. At the front of the boat, the creatures let out a piercing scream and the smoke died away just as it neared Lampwick's mouth. The creatures twisted and writhed until they became smoke and disappeared into thin air.

A huge cracking sound came from not far away. Lampwick ran back to Alexander and Tremor and they looked out towards Pleasure Island. The mountain wall around it was starting to starting to break apart. The water around the ferry was starting to get choppy. It soon started to crash against the sides. The Coachman ran for the wheelhouse. Lampwick looked at Alexander and Tremor, they were clearly thinking the same thing. Now that the curse was lifted, there was now no need for Pleasure Island… and it was taking the ferry with it.

The three donkeys were not scared. It was probably better this way. They were not going to turn back into humans anyway…

Suddenly a huge bright light burst out from the sky. The donkeys squinted up in its direction. As the light cleared, they recognised it as something they thought they would never see again… the Wishing Star. It shone down on the ferry. The donkeys started to fade away. They disappeared leaving Honest John, Gideon and the Coachman alone on the ferry. Honest John managed to yank his hat off, only to see that a huge hole had formed in the wall and water was starting to flood into Pleasure Island.

"Giddy, abandon ship!" he yelled.

They both ran for the front of the ferry. The Coachman yelled after them, "Come back here, you useless cowards." Gideon was in the middle of a diving preparation, when Honest John shoved him overboard and dove in after him.

The ferry went tumbling into Pleasure Island, and the park was flooded. The roller coaster toppled down. The ferry crashed straight into the model gangster, the window smashed and the Coachman fell over backwards. He felt something on his cheek. He brought his hand up to it and when he brought it away, the fingers of his glove were drenched… dark red. He looked up in horror as the Ferris wheel toppled over… on top of the ferry.

The rubble and the wreckage of the ferry and the rides began to swirl in a circle, and they were brought down beneath the waves, never to be seen again.

Pleasure Island was no more.


	19. Making Amends

Chapter 18

Making Amends

The first thing Lampwick saw was the sea as he re-appeared on the beach. He looked up to see the Wishing Star shining brightly and a heavenly sing filled the air. Out of the light stepped the Blue Fairy, her wand in one piece again and her heavenly aura surrounding her.

"Am I… dead?" asked Lampwick.

The Blue Fairy smiled. "No Lampwick, you're alive and your wish has come true."

Lampwick looked down. He had hands again. He could stand on two feet again. By some miracle he was clothed again. He felt around his face. He had a normal face again. He looked around and there was Alexander, a small boy with brown hair. He also saw a tall muscular man in his sixty's, with white hair and an unshaven face.

"Tremor?"

"It's not Tremor anymore kid," he said in the same gruff voice they recognised. "It's Walter."

Lampwick looked towards the Blue Fairy in awe. "But the Coachman… your wand…"

"We thought you were dead," said Alexander

"You do deserve an explanation," she said gently. "Until that very moment, when I plucked you off the ferry, I was dead. When the Coachman crushed the last of my life out of me, I felt my body become nothingness. There was nothing above me but stars, every second on Earth was a century where I was. But then I heard voices speaking of me. 'If the Blue Fairy could see you now, she'd be proud of you.' 'Not as much as she'd be proud of you.' and 'I'm not going to let everything she worked for die with her.' Your willingness to risk everything for what I had worked for, even though I would not be around to see it come to fruition, even though it appeared you would get nothing in return, it made me stronger, and I managed to come back. The three of you have proven that bravery, truth and unselfishness are very powerful things indeed."

Lampwick smiled and said "What about everyone else?"

"They're back to normal too," her face fell, "those whom I could save."

Lampwick's heart sank as he remembered Ken and how his plan to escape from Honest John and Gideon would have worked had it not been for the traps.

"Won't the guys who were in charge of them notice?" asked Walter.

"It depends on what they can remember," said the Blue Fairy. The way she raised her wand, more or less painted the picture.

"It was a nightmare," said Alexander. "A nightmare I thought would never end."

"It's alright now Alexander," said the Blue Fairy gently, as knelt down so that her face was level with that of the small boy. "It's all over now. Pleasure Island and the Coachman are gone… they're nothing but a memory now.."

"The Coachman was right about one thing," said Lampwick "When we have our fun and forget our responsibilities, we pay for it. Which is why we should go where we should have stayed from the very beginning… home"

The Blue Fairy smiled and nodded.

"You'd better stick to the straight and narrow kid," said Walter. "You've got your life ahead of you now. I've spent my whole life in those mines. I just don't know what it's like to be happy any more."

"There is still time for you, Walter," said the Blue Fairy. "Your life hasn't ended yet."

Walter smiled and there was no denying the tear in his eye.

"I'll take you home Alexander," said Lampwick, "and before I go back to my home, there's one last thing I need to take care off."

Eight o'clock, Sunday morning saw Lampwick knocking on the door of Geppetto, the wood carver. The door was answered by a face he recognised at once.

"Lampwick!"

"Hey, Pinoke. How you doin'?"

"You're back to normal!" said the small boy in wonder.

"And you look different."

"That's because I'm a real boy," said Pinocchio proudly. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to apologise for being a bad influence on you back at Pleasure Island."

"I'm sorry I ran out on you," said Pinocchio.

"Don't sweat it," said Lampwick. "There was nothing you could have done at the time."

"Who is it, Pinoke?" came a small voice. Then Jiminy Cricket appeared. "You!"

"Now bee-- I mean Jiminy," said Lampwick. "I know I more than deserve a knuckle sandwich, but please hear me out. I came to apologise to Pinocchio for everything. I also came to apologise to you, for how I treat you."

Jiminy's expression softened. "It's alright Lampwick. I'm an official conscience now. Forgive and forget."

"Who is it, Pinocchio?" came another voice. There appeared Geppetto.

"You must be Pinocchio's father," said Lampwick shaking the old man's hand. "I hope Pinoke's been a better son to you than I have to my mother. Speaking of which, I have to go."

He walked away from the shop, turning back only to say, "And Jiminy… nice badge!"

Hours later, he knocked on the door of his own home. A female voice answered, "Come in."

Lampwick opened the door and saw a woman aged 45 sitting at the table.

"Hi Mama," he said.

She looked up. "Lampwick. Is that you?"

"Yeah." He fought back the tears. "It's me."

His mother ran to him and hugged him.

"Where's Dad," asked Lampwick.

"He died in prison," she replied. "I'm just glad to have you back now."

Lampwick hugged his mother and they cried in joy that all was well again.

That night, Lampwick looked out of his bedroom window and saw the Wishing Star.

"Thank you, lady," he said. "Thank you for everything."

The star seemed to twinkle in reply.


	20. What happened to Honest John and Gideon

Meanwhile…

Gideon was dazed. He couldn't remember a thing after jumping into the water. He looked up to see a bright sun, sandy beaches and tropical trees. Coming towards him were three beautiful cats dressed as hula girls. They bent down over him.

"Hi Giddy." Gideon could not believe his luck. "Giddy." He leaned in for the kiss. "Giddy, get a hold of yourself!"

He felt a cane hit him on the head. He turned his head to see Honest John, whose hat was lost in the sea.

"I don't think they want a kiss."

Gideon turned around to see three policemen… and they didn't look very happy. What's more, they were not on a tropical island, they were on the mainland beach, and a ghastly fog had swept in.

"J. Worthington Foulfellow."

"Um… Honest John if you please, officer."

"Okay… Honest John Worthington Foulfellow. We have a warrant for your arrest and the arrest of your accomplice."

Before the two crooks had realised it, they were handcuffed and on their way to prison.

"Come on now officers," said Honest John. "Can't we discuss this like human beings."

Gideon rolled his eyes. He was not the brains of the group, but even he was not stupid enough to believe this was going to work.

Author's Note: I hope you've enjoyed reading this story, as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Whether this actually happened is something you as the reader can decide for yourself.


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